Tracer rounds are used to help gunners follow the rounds shot to correct their aim when the rounds fall wide of their intended targets. Conventional tracer rounds give off a bright pyrotechnic light along the path from muzzle to impact. This has the unfortunate side effect of pointing directly at the gunner, making it easier for opposing forces to locate the source of fire.
Some guns today are equipped with laser sights. These lasers project a dot on the target to help the gunner aim. However, the laser beam does not follow the arc of a round, and so the distance to the target must be taken into account in aiming the weapon. Higher-powered lasers have been used in both collimated and diverging configurations to create spotlights on targets. Both visible and infrared radiation has been used. These lasers are typically mounted on the shooting platform or on a cooperative platform. These systems present difficulties including the risk of eye damage to those on or near the platform and also raise electro optical signature concerns. Reflectors have been mounted on the rear end of rounds to reflect laser radiation from a laser that is guided to follow the path of the round. These devices allow the round to reflect radiation back to the gunner. All of the techniques noted above have disadvantages of one sort or another.